Father’s Death Leads To First Drink

Roberto was born in Peru and claims his family was full of drinkers. Alcohol was around at all times, at every activity. He often felt distanced from his family as a child because he was the lone boy in a house full of sisters. His family had him placed in a special school in which he was the lone Peruvian; his classmates were all foreign-born Caucasians with blonde hair and blue eyes. He would look at himself in the mirror and think something was wrong about the way he looked, having typical, darker latino features. Roberto’s father died when he was still a child, and to cope with pain and anger, he took his first drink.

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Jason Amaral is a 30-year-old addict living in the Boston area who is determined to get clean. Jason allowed CBS News cameras to follow him as he tries to get his life back on track. DeMarco Morgan reports in part one of a "CBS Evening News" series "In the Shadow of Death: Jason's Journey."